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The World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia has called on Kenyan political leaders to keep moving towards dialogue while praising the countries' churches for their role in peacemaking.

A new World Council of Churches (WCC) initiative aimed at supporting Christians living in conflict situations around the world has begun. "When one part of the body suffers, the whole body suffers with it," Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia, general secretary of the WCC said in a videotaped address to experts in international relations and ecumenical partners at a recent consultation held in Geneva, 8-10 December.

"La créativité de la science doit servir le bien commun." C'est ce qu'ont déclaré les participants au Colloque mondial sur la génétique, les nouvelles biotechnologies et  le ministère de l'Eglise tenu du 2 au 5 décembre à Johannesburg, Afrique du Sud. Ils ont mis en garde contre le risque que la biotechnologie ne conduise à "une dépendance accrue et une menace à l'égard de la biodiversité".

Participants at a 2-5 December Global Consultation on Genetics and New Biotechnologies held in Johannesburg, South Africa stated that "the creativity of science needs to serve the common good" and cautioned against the risk of biotechnology leading to "increased dependency and threat to biodiversity". "Communities can be devastated by the intrusion of genetically modified seeds and bio-piracy", participants said. They recognized the "need for dialogue with scientists", so as to move "beyond a reactive mode", and called for the "restoration of the churches' prophetic voices and public witness in the growing debate regarding the ethical use of genetics and biotechnologies".

par Maurice Malanes (*)

By Maurice Malanes (*)

L'archevêque méthodiste Michael Kehinde Stephen du Nigéria a été choisi pour présider le comité de continuation sur "L'oecuménisme au 21e siècle", groupe chargé de suivre et d'encourager les initiatives en faveur de la quête mondiale de l'unité des chrétiens. Sa désignation a été confirmée par consensus par les quatorze membres qui assistaient à la première réunion du comité du 18 au 20 novembre à Bossey, Suisse.

Rev. Canon Dr John Saint Helier Gibaut, from the Anglican Church of Canada, will head the World Council of Churches (WCC) Commission on Faith and Order as of January 2008.

Methodist archbishop Michael Kehinde Stephen of Nigeria has been chosen to moderate the Continuation Committee on Ecumenism in the 21st Century, a group assigned to monitor and encourage initiatives in the global quest for Christian unity. He was affirmed by consensus of the fourteen members attending the committee's first meeting during the week of 18-20 November in Bossey, Switzerland.

Le chanoine John St. H. Gibaut, de l'Eglise anglicane du Canada, prendra la direction du Secrétariat de Foi et constitution du Conseil oecuménique des Eglises (COE) au début de janvier 2008.

The global ecumenical family's concern about the growing human rights violations in the Philippines will be a major focus of the 18-21 November visit to the country by the World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia.

Après quatre jours de rencontres, quelque 240 responsables d'Eglises, de confessions et d'organisations ecclésiales d'une grande diversité, venus de plus de 70 pays, ont convenu de poursuivre ce qu'ils ont appelé le "processus du Forum chrétien mondial", un espace ouvert de rencontre et de dialogue destiné à "promouvoir le respect mutuel et affronter les défis communs".

After four days of meetings, some 240 leaders of a broad range of churches, confessions and interchurch organizations from over 70 countries agreed to carry forward what they call "the Global Christian Forum process", an open platform for encounter and dialogue whose goal is to "foster mutual respect, explore and address common challenges".

"Aux yeux de certains, cette rencontre n'était pas possible, mais nous voici rassemblés - et le monde se demande quelle sera la prochaine étape", a déclaré le pasteur Samuel Kobia, secrétaire général du Conseil oecuménique des Eglises (COE), lors de l'ouverture du Forum chrétien mondial qui se déroule à Limuru, près de Nairobi, Kenya, du 6 au 9 novembre.

"Some would have said that this event was not possible, but here we are - and the world wonders what will come next," said the World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia at the opening of the Global Christian Forum taking place in Limuru, near Nairobi, Kenya, from 6-9 November.

A unique gathering of high level church leaders to start Tuesday 6 November near Nairobi, Kenya, features the broadest range of Christian traditions ever represented at a global meeting, allowing for a discussion of unprecedented ecumenical breadth on what Christians are called to do - together if possible - in the world today.

Une réunion de hauts responsables d'Eglises telle qu'on en n'a jamais vue se déroulera près de Nairobi, Kenya, à partir du mardi 6 novembre. Jamais encore des traditions chrétiennes aussi diverses ne se sont retrouvées pour une rencontre mondiale d'une telle envergure oecuménique; on y parlera de ce que les chrétiens sont appelés à faire dans le monde d'aujourd'hui - si possible ensemble.

Les secrétaires généraux des Nations Unies et du Conseil oecuménique des Eglises (COE) ont réaffirmé la volonté de leurs organisations respectives de collaborer, lors d'une rencontre qui s'est déroulée le 29 octobre au siège des Nations Unies à New York.

The United Nations and the World Council of Churches (WCC) have reaffirmed their commitment to collaborate at a meeting between the general secretaries of both organizations held on 29 October at the UN headquarters in New York.

Two outstanding personalities, known to the ecumenical family for their achievements in faith-based advocacy and interfaith dialogue, have been engaged by the Geneva-based World Council of Churches (WCC) to complete its leadership team. The newly appointed staff members will head the programme on Public witness and the programme on Inter-religious dialogue and cooperation. The appointments complete a reconfiguration of the WCC staff leadership due to programmatic reshaping after the WCC 9th Assembly in 2006 .